Jordan Puscus -E-Portfolio

     I used to work at an alternative school where students were often transferred if their previous school placement was not successful. During my second year at the school, a young boy named Gabe transitioned to our school. This boy did not fit the ‘typical’ student that attended our school. His family did not live in ‘desperate poverty’, and he seemed to have a pretty stable family that was quite supportive of his needs. At the time he transferred to our school, we were aware that he was having some ‘oppositional’ behaviours at his previous school, and we were also aware that he was diagnosed with ADHD. During his first few weeks at the school, he transitioned quite well - his behaviour was positive and he was completing schoolwork in the classroom. He was a smart young boy and academically at grade-level or higher, which again was not the norm in our school environment. Gabe did have some challenges in connecting with his peers which could have been a result of his more balanced background and small stature. In some ways, this made him a target for some other students in the school. However, over time Gabe continued to focus on his schoolwork and showed a strong motivation in rewards as we did provide an incentive-based program. 

 

     After a couple months of attending the school, a major change took place. Gabe had been taking ADHD medication and was doing quite well with it, but the Doctor was concerned about his lack of weight gain. This was a valid concern and challenging conundrum for his mom, who was worried about his ability to focus without his medication while also being concerned about the long-term effects of his lack of appetite or regular eating. As a result, his mom made the choice to discontinue the medication that he was on and switched him to another medication. Following this decision, Gabe’s behaviour changed dramatically. Gabe, who was previously quite strong in class, became significantly less engaged in his schoolwork and his oppositional behaviour increased. Gabe’s teacher reported that he became resistant to completing work of any kind, was often off-task, and became increasingly defiant in following any of the rules in the classroom. This increased conflict between Gabe and his peers, who were becoming increasingly frustrated by his actions and this made him an even larger target. Gabe’s conflict with his teacher and peers led to ongoing decisions by the teacher to send him out of class to speak with me, our counsellor. Gabe had previously presented as a student that valued connection from adults, but this trait diminished after the change in medication. He became less ‘reachable’ and it felt as though you couldn’t reason with him. As a result, his teacher continued to remove him from the classroom, but increasingly instead of being returned to class, he was sent home. Both Gabe’s parents recognized the increase in his behaviour and tried to encourage a change, but were unsuccessful. Ultimately, Gabe’s behaviour seemed to increase the more he got sent home, which was creating an unfortunate cycle.  

 

     Gabe was a student that I had a good connection with initially, but over time the role I had in enforcing the consequences (driving him home) seemed to result in a disconnect. Additionally, exasperation of his behaviour, which at times seemed intentional, affected me as well. Gabe was eventually transferred back to another alternative school setting as our team felt like we had hit a fork in the road. I often still think about this young man and where his educational journey has taken him. It was clear that he had significant potential academically, but his learning disability was a major barrier to his ability to remain in a classroom for this to occur. 

​

     The reflection I have now, and knew then, was that Gabe’s medication resulted in a major change in his behaviour. The new medication either wasn’t effective or was taking significant time to ‘kick in’. It is obvious that ADHD and the hyperactive behaviours associated with it are difficult to manage without medication, but it also appeared that Gabe’s lack of belonging within his classroom and the school likely contributed to his increased defiant behaviour.